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Daimler AG Could Phase Out smart Brand To Focus On Mercedes-Benz U-Class

As you’re well aware, smart isn’t doing great from a commercial standpoint. The automaker that came to be as a collaboration between Swatch (the watchmaker, yes!) and Mercedes-Benz is losing ground everywhere it’s present, which is why the chief executive officer stepped down earlier this year.
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Photo: smart
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Sales are so bad that the higher-ups even took the decision to discontinue internal combustion-engined models, pushing the EQ sub-brand onto smart. The change will be complete by the end of 2019 when the fortwo, fortwo cabrio, and forfour will have transitioned to electric drive.

Care to guess how bad the sales are in the United States? The fortwo with Electric Drive, for example, sold 98 examples in September 2018 compared to 123 the year prior. Throughout 2017, smart sold 544 examples of the breed in the U.S. of A., which is disappointing by all means.

According to Automobile Magazine, smart could even be “wound up by 2026 at the earliest.” The publication also draws attention to “at least four different options” put forth by the “strategists and product planners” at Daimler AG.

The most interesting option is the U-Class, with U standing for urban and universal. Expected to replace the smart lineup altogether, the Mercedes-Benz U-Class is under consideration in four flavors: City (three- and five-door hatchback), Shuttle (shared transportation configuration), Cargo (panel van), and Open Air (two-seater body style positioned between the smart coupe and three-door A-Class W169).

“If the business case still looks good in 2021, the U-Class may turn out to be one of the smartest cars Mercedes ever conceived,” according to Automobile Magazine. But on the other hand, don’t forget the “Mercedes née Smart is far from an approved program.”

Another option would be to find a strong partner for smart, with Geely coming to mind. A no-frills version of the A-Class is also possible, as is a re-engineered MFA3 vehicle architecture that would bring forth a subcompact hatchback.

Last, but certainly not least, Mercedes-Benz would have partnered up with BMW to develop the MX1 and MX2 vehicle platforms but the Bavarian automaker pulled out of the deal. Both architectures cover battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and ICE vehicles “with a bias on electric drive.”
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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